Stephanie Glen wants to make math interesting for kids

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. students place below average in math when compared with students in other countries around the world. Jacksonvillian Stephanie Glen aims to change that with “The Number Hunter.”

A web-based TV program focused on math and geared toward pre-teens, “The Number Hunter” is a 22-minute show broken down into four segments to be shown on YouTube and the show’s website, thenumberhunter.com.

“I knew that I wanted to do something creative with math to make it more accessible for kids,” said Glen, who has a master’s in math education from Jacksonville University and an MFA in creative writing from National University and has taught college-level math for six years. “I’d learned that math is fun and interesting but, unfortunately, the interesting aspects of math are not taught in schools.”

“Half to three-quarters of black ninth-graders in Jacksonville don’t make it to graduation,” Glen said. “We’ve got to do something to address that. Students need to feel what they are learning is relevant. My plan is to visit classrooms as ‘The Number Hunter’ and inspire kids to get interested in math.”